Methods and apparatus for dispensing solid pharmaceutical articles

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for dispensing pharmaceutical articles includes a housing assembly and an adjustment system. The housing assembly includes a first inlet wall and a second inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inlet wall. The housing assembly defines a hopper chamber that houses pharmaceutical articles, and a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber. The dispensing channel has an inlet and an outlet and defines a flow path. The inlet is defined at least in part by the first and second inlet walls. The adjustment system is operable to adjust the position of the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet. The adjustment system includes an input mechanism and an operator feedback mechanism. The input mechanism is selectively operable by an operator to selectively move the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall. The operator feedback mechanism provides tactile and/or audible feedback to the operator responsive to operation of the input mechanism by the operator to indicate prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall.

RELATED APPLICATIONS(S)

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/019,069, filed Jan. 4, 2008, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/938,931, filed May 18, 2007, the disclosuresof which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed generally to the dispensing of solidpharmaceutical articles and, more specifically, is directed to theautomated dispensing of solid pharmaceutical articles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pharmacy generally began with the compounding of medicines whichentailed the actual mixing and preparing of medications. Heretofore,pharmacy has been, to a great extent, a profession of dispensing, thatis, the pouring, counting, and labeling of a prescription, andsubsequently transferring the dispensed medication to the patient.Because of the repetitiveness of many of the pharmacist's tasks,automation of these tasks has been desirable.

Some attempts have been made to automate the pharmacy environment. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,541 to Williams et al. describes anautomated system for dispensing pharmaceuticals using dispensing bins.Each dispensing bin includes a hopper in which tablets are stored and adispensing channel fluidly connecting the hopper to a dispensing outlet.Forward and reverse air flows are used to selectively convey the tabletsthrough the dispensing channel in each of a dispensing direction (towardthe outlet) and a reverse direction (toward the hopper). The dispensingchannel and inlet thereto may be adjustable in size and configurationusing adjustment knobs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to embodiments of the present invention, an apparatus fordispensing pharmaceutical articles includes a housing assembly and anadjustment system. The housing assembly includes a first inlet wall anda second inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inlet wall.The housing assembly defines a hopper chamber that houses pharmaceuticalarticles, and a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopperchamber. The dispensing channel has an inlet and an outlet and defines aflow path. The inlet is defined at least in part by the first and secondinlet walls. The adjustment system is operable to adjust the position ofthe second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust thesize of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articles passingthrough the inlet. The adjustment system includes an input mechanism andan operator feedback mechanism. The input mechanism is selectivelyoperable by an operator to selectively move the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall. The operator feedback mechanismprovides tactile and/or audible feedback to the operator responsive tooperation of the input mechanism by the operator to indicate prescribedincrements of movement of the second inlet wall relative to the firstinlet wall.

According to method embodiments of the present invention, a method fordispensing pharmaceutical articles comprises providing an apparatusincluding a housing assembly and an adjustment system. The housingassembly includes a first inlet wall and a second inlet wall that ismoveable relative to the first inlet wall. The housing assembly definesa hopper chamber that houses pharmaceutical articles, and a dispensingchannel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber. The dispensing channelhas an inlet and an outlet and defines a flow path. The inlet is definedat least in part by the first and second inlet walls. The adjustmentsystem is operable to adjust the position of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet tosingulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet. Theadjustment system includes an input mechanism and an operator feedbackmechanism. The input mechanism is selectively operable by an operator toselectively move the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall.The operator feedback mechanism provides tactile and/or audible feedbackto the operator responsive to operation of the input mechanism by theoperator to indicate prescribed increments of movement of the secondinlet wall relative to the first inlet wall. The method further includesusing the input mechanism to adjust the position of the second inletwall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet tosingulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet.

Further features, advantages and details of the present invention willbe appreciated by, those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading ofthe figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodimentsthat follow, such description being merely illustrative of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pharmaceutical tablet dispensingsystem including an adjustment system according to some embodiments ofthe present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of the tablet dispensing system of FIG. 1illustrating a container dispensing station, a labeling carrier, adispensing carrier, and a closure dispensing station thereof.

FIG. 3 is a front, left perspective view of a dispensing bin accordingto some embodiments of the present invention forming a part of thetablet dispensing system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front, right perspective view of the dispensing bin of FIG.3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the bin of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the bin of FIG. 3 wherein tabletscontained therein are being agitated and dispensed in a forward ordispensing direction.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the bin of FIG. 3 wherein a tabletis being returned to a hopper of the bin in a reverse direction.

FIG. 8 is an exploded, front, right perspective view of an adjustabledispensing channel subassembly forming a part of the bin of FIG. 3.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged, front perspective view of an adjustment screwmember forming a part of the adjustable dispensing channel subassemblyof FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, front perspective view of a receiver portionforming a part of the adjustable dispensing channel subassembly of FIG.8.

FIG. 11 is a front, right perspective view of the adjustable dispensingchannel subassembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a left, rear perspective view of the adjustable dispensingchannel subassembly of FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side view of the bin of FIG. 3;

FIG. 14 is an enlarged, fragmentary, bottom view of the bin of FIG. 3;

FIG. 15 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of the adjustabledispensing channel subassembly of FIG. 8 along the line 15-15 of FIG.13.

FIG. 16 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front end view of the bin of FIG. 4with a nozzle thereof removed, wherein the dispensing channelsubassembly thereof is positioned in a first position.

FIG. 17 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front end view of the bin of FIG. 4with the nozzle thereof removed, wherein the dispensing channelsubassembly thereof is positioned in a second position.

FIG. 18 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front end view of the bin of FIG. 4with the nozzle thereof removed, wherein the dispensing channelsubassembly thereof is positioned in a third position.

FIGS. 19 and 20 are enlarged, fragmentary, front perspective views of anadjustment mechanism according to further embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 21 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side view of the adjustmentmechanism of FIG. 19.

FIG. 22 is an enlarged, fragmentary, front perspective view of a wallportion including a tab forming a part of the adjustment mechanism ofFIG. 19.

FIG. 23 is an enlarged, rear perspective view of an adjustment screwmember forming a part of the adjustment mechanism of FIG. 19.

FIG. 24 is an enlarged, front perspective view of the adjustment screwmember of FIG. 23.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of an adjustment mechanismaccording to further embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. In the drawings, the relativesizes of regions or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“coupled” or “connected” to another element, it can be directly coupledor connected to the other element or intervening elements may also bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlycoupled” or “directly connected” to another element, there are nointervening elements present. Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout.

In addition, spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”,“lower”, “over”, “upper” and the like, may be used herein for ease ofdescription to describe one element or feature's relationship to anotherelement(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It will beunderstood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompassdifferent orientations of the device in use or operation in addition tothe orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device inthe figures is turned over, elements described as “under” or “beneath”other elements or features would then be oriented “over” the otherelements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “under” can encompassboth an orientation of over and under. The device may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein the expression“and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, apparatus andmethods are provided for dispensing solid pharmaceutical articles. Inparticular, such methods and apparatus may be used to dispensepharmaceutical pills or tablets. Operations according to embodiments ofthe present invention include providing an apparatus including a housingassembly and an adjustment system. The housing assembly includes a firstinlet wall and a second inlet wall that is moveable relative to thefirst inlet wall. The housing assembly defines a hopper chamber thathouses pharmaceutical articles, and a dispensing channel fluidlyconnected to the hopper chamber. The dispensing channel has an inlet andan outlet and defines a flow path. The inlet is defined at least in partby the first and second inlet walls. The adjustment system is operableto adjust the position of the second inlet wall relative to the firstinlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate thepharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet. The adjustment systemincludes an input mechanism and an operator feedback mechanism. Theinput mechanism is selectively operable by an operator to selectivelymove the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall. Theoperator feedback mechanism provides tactile and/or audible feedback tothe operator responsive to operation of the input mechanism by theoperator to indicate prescribed increments of movement of the secondinlet wall relative to the first inlet wall. The method further includesusing the input mechanism to adjust the position of the second inletwall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet tosingulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet.

A dispensing system according to embodiments of the present inventionand that can carry out the foregoing methods is illustrated in FIGS.1-18 and designated broadly therein at 40 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Thedispensing system 40 includes a support frame 44 for the mounting of itsvarious components. Those skilled in this art will recognize that theframe 44 illustrated herein is exemplary and can take manyconfigurations that would be suitable for use with the presentinvention. The frame 44 provides a strong, rigid foundation to whichother components can be attached at desired locations, and other frameforms able to serve this purpose may also be acceptable for use withthis invention.

The system 40 generally includes as operative stations a controller(represented herein by a graphical user interface 42), a containerdispensing station 58, a labeling station 60, a tablet dispensingstation 62, a closure dispensing station 64, and an offloading station66. In the illustrated embodiment, containers, tablets and closures aremoved between these stations with a dispensing carrier 70; however, insome embodiments, multiple carriers are employed. The dispensing carrier70 has the capability of moving the container to designated locationswithin the cavity 45 of the frame 44. Except as discussed herein withregard to the dispensing station 62, each of the operative stations andthe conveying devices may be of any suitable construction such as thosedescribed in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,541 to Williams et al. and/orU.S. Pat. No. 7,344,049, the disclosures of which are herebyincorporated herein in their entireties.

The controller 42 controls the operation of the remainder of the system40. In some embodiments, the controller 42 will be operatively connectedwith an external device, such as a personal or mainframe computer, thatprovides input information regarding prescriptions. In otherembodiments, the controller 42 may be a stand-alone computer thatdirectly receives manual input from a pharmacist or other operator. Anexemplary controller is a conventional microprocessor-based personalcomputer.

In operation, the controller 42 signals the container dispensing station58 that a container of a specified size is desired. In response, thecontainer dispensing station 58 delivers a container for retrieval bythe carrier 70. From the container dispensing station 58, the containeris moved to the labeling station 60 by the carrier 70. The labelingstation 60 includes a printer that is controlled by the controller 42.The printer prints and presents an adhesive label that is affixed to thecontainer.

Filling of labeled containers with tablets is carried out by the tabletdispensing station 62. The tablet dispensing station 62 comprises aplurality of tablet dispensing bin assemblies or bins 100 (described inmore detail below), each of which holds a bulk supply of individualtablets (typically the bins 100 will hold different tablets). Referringto FIGS. 1 and 6, the dispensing bins 100, which may be substantiallyidentical in size and configuration, are organized in an array mountedon the rails of the frame 44. Each dispensing bin 100 has a dispensingpassage or channel 120 with an outlet 124 that faces generally in thesame direction to create an access region for the dispensing carrier 70.The identity of the tablets in each bin is known by the controller 42,which can direct the dispensing carrier 70 to transport the container tothe proper bin 100. In some embodiments, the bins 100 may be labeledwith a bar code or other indicia to allow the dispensing carrier 70 toconfirm that it has arrived at the proper bin 100.

The dispensing bins 100 are configured to singulate, count, and dispensethe tablets contained therein, with the operation of the bins 100 andthe counting of the tablets being controlled by the controller 42. Someembodiments may employ the controller 42 as the device which monitorsthe locations and contents of the bins 100; others may employ thecontroller 42 to monitor the locations of the bins, with the bins 100including indicia (such as a bar code or electronic transmitter) toidentify the contents to the controller 42. In still other embodiments,the bins 100 may generate and provide location and content informationto the controller 42, with the result that the bins 100 may be moved todifferent positions on the frame 42 without the need for manualmodification of the controller 42 (i.e., the bins 100 will update thecontroller 42 automatically).

Any of a number of dispensing units that singulate and count discreteobjects may be employed if suitably modified to include the inventiveaspects disclosed herein. In particular, dispensing units that rely upontargeted air flow and a singulating nozzle assembly may be used, such asthe devices described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,631,826 to Pollard et al., U.S.Pat. No. 7,344,049, issued Mar. 18, 2008, U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/750,710, and/or U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/834,936, eachof which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Bins of this variety may also include additional features, such as thosedescribed below.

After the container is desirably filled by the tablet dispensing station62, the dispensing carrier 70 moves the filled container to the closuredispensing station 64. The closure dispensing station 64 may house abulk supply of closures and dispense and secure them onto a filledcontainer. The dispensing carrier 70 then moves to the closed container,grasps it, and moves it to the offloading station 66.

Turning to the bins 100 in more detail, an exemplary bin 100 is shown inmore detail in FIGS. 3-18. The bin 100 includes a housing 110 having ahopper portion 112 and a nozzle 114. The bin 100 is fluidly connectedwith a pressurized gas source 136 (FIG. 6) as discussed in more detailbelow.

Referring to FIG. 5, the hopper portion 112 defines a hopper chamber 111that can be filled with tablets T. The bin 100 can be filled orreplenished with tablets through an opening located at the upper rearportion of the bin 100. The opening is selectively accessible via apivoting door 132, for example.

The tablets T can be dispensed one at a time into the container C (FIG.6) through the dispensing channel 120. The dispensing channel 120 has aninlet 122 adjacent and fluidly connecting the channel 120 to the hopperchamber 111. The dispensing channel 120 includes the outlet 124downstream from and opposite the inlet 122 and through which tablets mayexit to be dispensed into the container C. The bin 100 defines a tabletdispensing path from the inlet 122, through the dispensing channel 120,through the outlet 124, and through the nozzle 114. According to someembodiments and as illustrated, the dispensing channel 120 is uniformlyrectangular in cross-section from the inlet 122 to the outlet 124.

The hopper portion 112 has a bottom wall defining a floor 150. The floor150 has a sloped rear portion that slopes downwardly toward the inlet122. The floor 150 also has a funnel-shaped front portion. A frontagitation port or outlet 152 and a rear agitation port or outlet 154 areprovided in the floor 150. As discussed below, air or other pressurizedgas can be flowed through the outlets 152, 154 and into the hopperchamber 111 to agitate the tablets T contained therein.

A front partition or divider wall 156 extends through the hopper chamber111 and forms a gap or choke point between the lower edge of the wall156 and the floor 150. According to some embodiments, the choke pointhas a gap spacing or height from the floor 150 of between about 0.25 and0.75 inch. The position of the wall 156, and thereby the gap spacing,may be selectively adjusted using an adjustment mechanism.

A rear partition or divider wall 158 extends through the hopper chamber111 and forms a gap or choke point between the lower edge of the wall158 and the floor 150. According to some embodiments, the choke pointhas a gap spacing or height from the floor 150 of between about 0.6 and1 inch. The position of the wall 158, and thereby the gap spacing, maybe selectively adjusted using an adjustment mechanism. According to someembodiments, the rear divider wall 158 forms an angle of at least about30 degrees with respect to horizontal and, according to someembodiments, between about 30 and 45 degrees with respect to horizontal.

The front divider wall 156 and the rear divider wall 158 divide thehopper chamber 111 into subchambers or regions. More particularly andreferring to FIG. 5, a front region or subchamber 111A is definedbetween the divider wall 156 and the inlet 122, an intermediate regionor subchamber 111B is defined between the front divider wall 156 and therear divider wall 158, and a rear region or subchamber 111C is definedbetween the rear divider wall 158 and the rear wall of the bin 100.

The housing 110 further includes a high pressure supply port or nozzle134. In use, the pressurized gas source 136 (FIG. 6) is fluidlyconnected to the high pressure nozzle 134 via a manifold, fitting,flexible or rigid conduit, or the like. The gas source 136 may include acompressor or a container of compressed gas, for example. The highpressure gas source 136 is operative to provide a supply gas flow of asuitable working gas at a high pressure to the nozzle 134. According tosome embodiments, the supplied gas is or includes air. According to someembodiments, the pressure of the supplied gas at the nozzle 134 is atleast about 10 psi and, according to some embodiments, between about 10and 60 psi.

A gas supply passage or conduit fluidly connects the high pressurenozzle 134 to a forward control valve 142 (FIG. 5). Two forward jetsupply passages fluidly connect the forward control valve 142 torespective forward drive jet apertures or outlets 146. The forward jetoutlets 146 are positioned and configured to direct air or othersupplied gas into the dispensing channel 120. A front agitation supplypassage fluidly connects the forward control valve 142 to a front airamplifier 160. The front air amplifier 160 is positioned and configuredto direct air or other supplied gas into the hopper chamber 111 throughthe front agitation outlet 152. The forward control valve 142 isoperable to control airflow to the forward jet outlets 146 and the frontair amplifier 160.

A further gas supply passage or conduit fluidly connects the highpressure nozzle 134 to a reverse control valve 144 (FIG. 5). A reversejet supply passage fluidly connects the reverse control valve 144 to areverse drive jet aperture or outlet 148. The reverse jet outlet 148 ispositioned and configured to direct air or other supplied gas into thedispensing channel 120. A rear agitation supply passage fluidly connectsthe reverse control valve 144 to a rear air amplifier 162. The rear airamplifier 162 is positioned and configured to direct air or othersupplied gas into the hopper chamber 111 through the rear agitationoutlet 154. The reverse control valve 144 is operable to control airflowto the reverse jet outlet 148 and the rear air amplifier 162.

In use, the air amplifiers 160, 162 can be used to convert a suppliedpressurized gas flow having a given pressure, velocity and mass flowrate into an exiting or output air flow having a comparatively lowerpressure, higher velocity, and higher mass flow rate. According to someembodiments, the air amplifiers 160, 162 utilize the Coanda effect. Theoutlets of the air amplifiers 160, 162 are positioned in or adjacent theagitation outlets 152, 154, respectively, so that the exit gas flowenters the hopper chamber 111 through the agitation outlets 152, 154.The air amplifiers 160, 162 may be constructed and/or operate in themanner disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/750,710, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Each of the airamplifiers 160, 162 may be secured to the housing 110.

According to some embodiments and as illustrated, the drive jet outlets146, 148 and the agitation outlets 152, 154 are fluidly connected to thepressurized gas source 136 via the same intake (i.e., the nozzle 134).According to some embodiments, a single gas source is used to supply alldrive jet outlets and agitation outlets. According to some embodiments,the pressure of the gas supplied to each air amplifier 160, 162 issubstantially the same as the pressure of the gas supplied to each drivejet outlet 146, 148.

Alternative mechanisms may be used to provide the agitation gas flowsdiscussed herein. For example, the system 40 may provide agitation flowusing a separate low pressure manifold as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.7,344,049.

With reference to FIGS. 8-15, the bin 100 further includes an adjustabledispensing channel subassembly 200. The subassembly 200 includes anadjustment system, which includes input mechanisms for adjusting theheight and width of the inlet 122 and the dispensing channel 120, aswell as operator feedback mechanisms to assist the operator in makingsuch adjustments. The subassembly 200 includes portions of the housing110, a height adjustment mechanism 202 and a width adjustment mechanism204.

The housing 110 includes a fixed or stationary wall 210 (FIGS. 5 and11), a right sidewall 212 (FIGS. 4, 8 and 13), and a left sidewall 214(FIGS. 3, 8 and 14).

A screw retaining slot 212A (FIG. 8), a first guide slot 212B (FIG. 13),and a second slot 212C (FIG. 13), are formed in the right sidewall 212.Indicia 212D (FIG. 13) such as “1”, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, and “6” withindex markings are provided on the sidewall 212 along the slot 212C. Theindicia 212D may be printed, embossed or defined by raised portions, forexample.

A screw retaining slot 214A (FIG. 8) is defined in the left sidewall214. Housing guide arms 216 (FIG. 14) extend from the left sidewall 214horizontally and widthwise across the bottom of the housing 110.

The housing 110 also includes a bottom wall 218 having a side edge 218A(FIG. 14). The housing 110 (including the stationary wall 210 and theright sidewall 212) generally defines a cavity 220 within which thedispensing channel subassembly 200 resides (FIG. 16). The stationarysidewall 210 is fixed with respect to and may be secured to orintegrally formed with the right sidewall 212 and the left sidewall 214of the housing 110. The drive jet outlets 146, 148 are formed in thestationary sidewall 210.

With reference to FIG. 8, the height adjustment mechanism 202 includes aceiling member 230 and an adjuster screw member 250. The ceiling member230 includes a ceiling wall 232 and a sidewall 234. Mounting bores 232Aare defined in the ceiling wall 232 and hold the photodetectors 82, 86.A guide post 236 extends laterally outwardly from the sidewall 234.Guide openings 238 (FIG. 13) are defined in the sidewall 234 on eitherside of the guide post 236.

With reference to FIGS. 8, 10, and 13, a receiver portion 240 is locatedon the sidewall 234. The receiver portion 240 includes a rib 242. Tabs242A extend laterally from the rib 242 and screw threads 242B aredefined in the rib 242. A pair of retainer collars 244 extend from therib 242 and define a bore or opening 244A (FIG. 10). With reference toFIG. 10, an arm or tab 246 extends from the rib 242 and overlies thebore 244A. The tab 246 is joined to the rib 242 at a pivot end 246A ofthe tab 246 so that the tab 246 is cantilevered over the bore 244A. Thetab 246 is formed of a resilient material and shaped or geometricallyconfigured so that it may be elastically deflected about the pivot end246A. A projection 246B is located on the inner side of the tab 246opposite the pivot end 246A. The tab 246 may be integrally formed (e.g.,molded) with the rib 242 and the remainder of the receiver portion 240as illustrated.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the screw member 250 includes a head orknob 252, an upper shank section 254, a lower shank portion 256, and aflange 255 separating the shank portions 254, 256. The upper shankportion 254 is smooth and the lower shank portion 256 includes outerthreads 256A (FIG. 9). Detents 256B (FIG. 9) are defined in the threads256A. The knob 252 has four equally circumferentially spaced apart tabs252A (FIG. 9). Indicia 252B (FIG. 14) such as “0”, “½” and “-” areprovided on the knob 252. The indicia 252B may be printed, embossed ordefined by raised portions, for example. The screw member 250 may be athumbscrew as illustrated; however, other shapes and configurations maybe provided in accordance with other embodiments of the presentinvention.

The detents 256B (FIG. 9) are circumferentially spaced apart about theshank portion 256. The detents 256B are arranged in fourcircumferentially equally spaced apart groups of detents, wherein thedetents 256B of each group are axially aligned. According to someembodiments, the detents 256B are rounded or curvilinear and, accordingto some embodiments, concave (as shown). According to some embodiments,the detents 256B each have a depth-to-width ratio of between about 1:8and 1:4. Other configurations of detents may be provided in accordancewith other embodiments of the present invention.

The ceiling member 230 (FIG. 8) is slidably mounted inside the cavity220 (FIG. 16) such that the rib 242 is slidably received in the slot212B of the right sidewall 212 and secured therein by the tabs 242A(FIG. 13). The guide post 236 slidably extends through the slot 212C.The adjuster screw member 250 extends through the screw retaining slot212A in the right sidewall 212 and through the bore 244A in the receiverportion 240 of the ceiling member 230. The upper shank portion 254 isreceived in the slot 212A such that the screw member 250 is rotatableabout its lengthwise axis in the slot 212A but is prevented by the knob252 and the flange 255 from moving axially relative the housing 110. Thethreads 256A of the lower shank portion 256 threadedly engage or matewith the threads 242B and the indexing projection 246B (FIG. 10). Inuse, the ceiling member 230 can be raised and lowered along the axis H-H(FIG. 11) by rotating the screw member 250 in either direction.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 14, the width adjustment mechanism 204includes a floor member 260, an adjuster screw member 280, and afollower member 290. The floor member 260 includes a floor wall 262 anda rear portion 263. The rear portion 263 may serve as a movable floor orramp portion in the hopper chamber 112A adjacent the inlet 122. Indicia263A (FIGS. 12 and 14) such as “A”, “B”, “C”, and “E” are provided onthe underside of the rear portion 263. The indicia 263A may be printed,embossed or defined by raised portions, for example.

Mounting bores 262A are defined in the floor wall 262 and hold thephotoemitters 80, 84 (FIG. 8). A follower guide flange 264 extends fromthe front edge of the floor member 260 and defines a vertical groove.

With reference to FIGS. 12 and 14, a receiver portion 270 is located onthe underside of the floor wall 262. The receiver portion 270 includes arib 272. Screw threads 272B are defined in the rib 272. A pair ofretainer collars 274 extend from the rib 272 and define a bore oropening 274A. An arm or tab 276 extends from the rib 272 and overliesthe bore 274A. The tab 276 is joined to the rib 272 at a pivot end 276Aof the tab 276 so that the tab 276 is cantilevered over the bore 274A.The tab 276 is formed of a resilient material so that it may beelastically deflected about the pivot end 276A. A projection (not shown)corresponding to the projection 246B is located on the inner side of thetab 276 opposite the pivot end 276A.

With reference to FIG. 8, the screw member 280 may be configured in thesame manner as the screw member 250 and includes a head or knob 282, anupper shank section 284, a lower shank portion 286, and a flange 285separating the shank portions 284, 286. The upper shank portion 284 issmooth and the lower shank portion 286 includes outer threads 286A.Detents 286B are defined in the threads 286A. The knob 282 has fourequally circumferentially spaced apart indicator tabs 282A. Indicia 282B(FIG. 12) such as “0”, “½” and “-” are provided on the knob 282. Theindicia 282B may be printed, embossed or defined by raised portions, forexample. The screw member 280 may be a thumbscrew as illustrated;however, other shapes and configurations may be provided in accordancewith other embodiments of the present invention. The screw member 280and the tab 276 may be configured and sized as discussed above withregard to the screw member 250 and the tab 246.

The floor member 260 is slidably mounted inside the cavity 220 such thatthe rib 272 is slidably received between the guide arms 216. Theadjuster screw member 280 extends through the screw retaining slot 214Ain the left sidewall 214 and through the bore 274A in the receiverportion 270 of the floor member 260. The upper shank portion 284 isreceived in the slot 214A such that the screw member 280 is rotatableabout its lengthwise axis in the slot 214A but is prevented by the knob282 and the flange 285 from moving axially relative the housing 110. Thethreads 286A of the lower shank portion 286 threadedly engage or matewith the threads 272B and the projection (not shown) of the tab 276. Inuse, the floor member 260 can be slid left and right along the axis W-Wby rotating the screw member 280 in either direction.

With reference to FIG. 8, the follower member 290 includes a guideflange 292 on a front edge thereof and a sealing flange 294 on a topedge thereof. The guide flange 292 is slidably received in the groove ofthe follower guide flange 264. The sealing flange 294 slidably abuts theceiling wall 232. A guide post 296 extends rightwardly from the followermember 290, through the guide openings 238, and through the slot 212C(FIG. 13). A spring 297 surrounds the guide posts 236, 296 and iscaptured and compressed between the follower member 290 and the sidewall234 to bias the follower member 290 against the floor wall 262.

The ceiling wall 232, the floor wall 262, the stationary wall 210, andthe follower member 290 serve as the top, bottom, left and right walls,respectively, defining the dispensing channel 120 and the inlet 122(See, e.g., FIGS. 12 and 16). The ceiling wall 232, the floor wall 262,and the follower member 290 are moveable relative to the housing 110 andone another as discussed below to selectively change the width and/orthe height of the dispensing channel 120 and the inlet 122. In thismanner, the adjustment mechanisms 202, 204 can be used as inputmechanisms to selectively change and set the configuration of the inlet122 and the dispensing channel 120.

The heightwise spacing between the floor wall 262 and the ceiling wall232 can be adjusted by rotating the screw member 250 in thecorresponding direction using the knob 252. The threads 242B and 256Acooperate to drive the ceiling member 230 along the axis H-H. Thethreads 242B and 256A cooperate to drive the ceiling member 230 upwardwhen the screw member 250 is rotated counterclockwise (viewed frombelow) and to drive the ceiling member 230 downward when the screwmember 250 is rotated clockwise. The rib 242 and the slot 212B guide themovement of the ceiling member 230. The follower member 290 moves up anddown with the ceiling member 230 and slides along the abutting side edgeof the floor wall 262 and in the flange 264. The floor wall 262 remainsvertically fixed so that the ceiling wall 232 translates relativethereto. By way of example, FIG. 17 shows the bin 100 with thedispensing channel 120 and the inlet 122 in a first configuration andFIG. 18 shows the bin 100 with the dispensing channel 120 and the inlet122 in a second configuration having a greater height dimension. Thisadjustment may be made by rotating the screw member 250 in thecounterclockwise direction.

The widthwise spacing between the fixed side wall 210 and the followerwall 290 can be adjusted by rotating the screw member 280 in thecorresponding direction using the knob 282. The threads 272B and 286Acooperate to drive the floor member 260 along the axis W-W. The threads272B and 286A cooperate to drive the floor member 260 rightward when thescrew member 280 is rotated counterclockwise (viewed from the left side)and to drive the floor member 260 leftward when the screw member 280 isrotated clockwise. The rib 272 and the guide arms 216 guide the movementof the floor member 260. The follower member 290 moves left and rightwith the floor member 260 and slides left and right through the guideopenings 238. The ceiling wall 232 remains laterally fixed so that thefloor wall 262 and the follower wall 290 translate relative thereto. Byway of example, FIG. 16 shows the bin 100 with the dispensing channel120 and the inlet 122 in a first configuration and FIG. 17 shows the bin100 with the dispensing channel 120 and inlet 122 in a secondconfiguration having a greater width dimension. This adjustment may bemade by rotating the screw member 280 in the counterclockwise direction.

Notably, the configuration of the dispensing channel 120 described abovecan provide an essentially “gapless” channel for the tablets to travelin, which can improve the performance of the system 40. Also, the floorwall 262 maintains its vertical position and the stationary wall 210maintains its lateral position even when the dispensing channel 120 isadjusted, which provides a constant outlet location and thereby aconstant location to which the container receiving tablets can bedelivered.

According to some embodiments, the axes H-H and W-W are each traverse,and more particularly perpendicular, to the dispensing pathway.According to some embodiments, the axes H-H and W-W are perpendicular toone another.

The adjustment mechanisms 202, 204 can provide positive feedback to anoperator when used by the operator to adjust and set the dimensions ofthe inlet 122 and dispensing channel 120. According to embodiments ofthe present invention, the feedback may be audible and/or tactile.According to some embodiments, the tactile and/or audible feedbackindicates prescribed increments of movement of the wall or walls beingadjusted by operation of the adjustment mechanism 202, 204. Suchprescribed increments of movement of the wall or walls is also indicatedby the indicia 212D, 263A to provide visual feedback to the operator.

Referring to operation of the adjustment mechanism 202, as the screwmember 250 is rotated, the tab 246 follows the thread 256A and thedetents 256B. As the screw member 250 is rotated, the tab projection246B moves in and out of the detents 256B of the screw member 250 and isdeflected in a direction D (FIG. 15) by the thread 256A. Moreparticularly, the projection 246B seats in a detent 256B when alignedwith the detent (e.g., as shown in FIG. 15) and is radially outwardlydisplaced by the thread 256A when not aligned with a detent 256B.According to some embodiments, the tab 246 serves as a spring to biasthe projection 246B against the thread 256A when the projection 246B isnot seated in a detent 256B and, according to some embodiments, alsobiases the projection 246B into the detents 256B when aligned therewith.

According to some embodiments, the interaction between the detents 256Band the projection 246B causes a variation in the resistance to rotationof the screw member 250 that is readily detectable or sensible by theoperator, thereby providing positive tactile feedback to the operator.According to some embodiments, the interaction between the detents 256Band the projection 246B generates an audible sound that is readilydetectable or sensible by the operator, thereby providing positiveaudible feedback to the operator. For example, the projection 246B maymake a clicking noise as it enters each detent 256B. According to someembodiments, the interaction between the detents 256B and the projection246B generates both tactile and audible positive feedback.

In this manner, the screw member 250 and the tab 246 may serve as anoperator feedback mechanism. The operator may use this tactile and/oraudible feedback to more accurately or readily determine the degree ofrotation of the screw member 250, and thereby the amount of change inthe position of the ceiling wall 232. For example, in the illustratedembodiment wherein detents 256B are spaced at intervals of 90 degreesabout the shank 256, the operator will receive positive feedback foreach quarter turn (i.e., 90 degree rotation) of the screw member 250.The operator can use the tactile feedback to more accurately andconveniently track the heightwise adjustment of the inlet 122. Theinterlock between the detents 256B and the projection 246B may alsoserve to lock the adjustment in place.

The degree of rotation corresponds to the amount of translationalmovement of the ceiling wall 232. According to some embodiments, eachtactile or audible click corresponds to and indicates a set amount orprescribed increment of movement of the ceiling wall 232. Thus, thetactile and/or audible feedback indicates to the operator prescribedincrements of movement of the ceiling wall 232 relative to the floorwall 262 and, thereby, indicates prescribed increments in the change inthe height of the inlet 122.

The operator may also monitor the position of the ceiling wall 232 withrespect to the indicia 212D to determine the position of the ceilingwall 232. According to some embodiments, the indicia 212D indicate orcorrespond to prescribed increments of movement of the ceiling wall 232.According to some embodiments, these prescribed increments are the sameas the prescribed increments indicated by the tactile and/or audiblefeedback. More particularly, according to some embodiments, the tactileand/or audible feedback indicates prescribed rotational positions of thescrew member 250 and the prescribed rotational positions are indexed toprescribed ones of the indicia 212D. For example, each successivequarter turn of the screw member 250 may correspond to positioning of areference point (that moves in tandem with the ceiling wall 232) inalignment with a corresponding successive one of the indicia 212D, whichin turn corresponds to a successive incremental change in the positionof the ceiling wall 232 and the height of the inlet 122. In theillustrated embodiment, the reference pointer is the top edge of thetopmost, right tab 242A (referred to herein as “the pointer tab 242A”)which in FIG. 13 is fully aligned with the index indicia “6.” Othersuitable reference pointers may be additionally or alternativelyemployed. For example, the top edge of the guide post 296 may serve as areference pointer. As a further example, a reference pointer mark may beprinted, embossed, molded or the like on the wall 234 and visiblethrough the slot 212C. Co-indexing in this manner using both visualfeedback (e.g., the positioning of the pointer tab 242A at thedesignated indicia 212D) and the tactile and/or audible feedback mayprovide the user with convenient and effective confirmation ofadjustment. This may ensure or facilitate more accurate and fasterreconfiguring of the inlet 122.

The operator may also refer to the tabs 252A and the indicia 252B on theknob 252 to assist in gauging the degree of rotation of the screw member250.

The adjustment mechanism 204 may be used in a similar manner to providetactile and/or audible feedback. When the screw member 280 is rotated,the projection (not shown) of the tab 276 corresponding to theprojection 246B cooperates with the thread 286A and the detents 286B inthe same manner as described above with respect to the tab 246 and thescrew member 250 to provide tactile and/or audible feedback sensible bythe operator and indicative of the incremental change in position of thefloor wall 262 and the follower member 290. Also, the repositioning ofthe floor member 260 will slide the rear portion 263 in or out from thebottom wall 218 so that corresponding indicia 263A on the rear portion263 aligns with the wall edge 218A (FIG. 14). The indicia 263A may thusprovide visual indication of the position of the follower member 290.According to some embodiments, the indicia 263A indicate or correspondto prescribed increments of movement of the follower member 290 asdiscussed above with regard to the indicia 212D. According to someembodiments, these prescribed increments indicated by the tactile and/oraudible feedback in the same manner as discussed above with regard tothe adjustment mechanism 202.

According to some embodiments, each of the fixed visual markings 212D,263A indicates a primary (integer) value of a setting, and the markings252B, 282B on the screw members 250, 280 indicate a secondary (ordecimal or fractional) value of the setting. The corresponding pointer(e.g., the pointer tab 242A or the wall edge 218A) only aligns exactlyor closely with a primary mark at each full turn (not quarter turn) ofthe screw member 250, 280. The operator can read or determine thecurrent setting by observing and determining the highest primary markthe pointer is aligned with or above (thereby determining the primary orinteger value of the setting) and also determining thequarter-rotational position of the screw member (thereby determining thesecondary or fractional value of the setting). An advantage of thisconfiguration is that it allows the use of greater, easier to readspacings between the primary marks 212D, 263A, while still enabling moreprecise settings and setting determinations by use of the markings 252B,282B.

According to some embodiments, the pitch of the screw threads 256A, 286Amatch the spacing of the corresponding indicia 212D, 263A so that eachturn of the screw member 250, 280 causes the reference pointer to movethe distance of one full increment between the marks 212D, 263A.Likewise, each quarter turn of the screw member 250, 280 will cause thereference pointer to move one quarter of the distance between marks212D, 263A.

With reference to FIG. 5, the sensor system 102 includes an exitphotoemitter 80, an exit photosensor or photodetector 82, an entrancephotoemitter 84, an entrance photosensor or photodetector 86, thecontroller 42, and an emitter driver operative to monitor flow oftablets T through the dispensing channel 120. The photoemitter 80 andthe photosensor 82 may cooperate as a first sensor pair facing eachother across the dispensing channel 120 and the photoemitter 84 and thephotosensor 86 may cooperate as a second sensor pair facing each otheracross the dispensing channel 120. Additionally, the first and secondsensor pairs may be cooperatively used or monitored as disclosed in U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/834,936, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

According to some embodiments, the photoemitters 80, 84 arephotoelectric emitters and the photodetectors 82, 86 are photoelectricsensors. According to some embodiments, the components 80, 82, 84, 86may each include both a photoemitter and a photodetector, whereby thecomponents 80, 82, 84, 86 may each serve as an emitter and a sensor,each configured to emit toward and receive from the other in its sensorpair. According to some embodiments, the components 80, 84 may each bereplaced with a retroreflective photoemitter/photodetector device andthe components 82, 86 may each be a cooperating reflector. Thephotodetectors 82, 86 are configured and positioned to detect thetablets T as they pass through the dispensing channel 120. Thephotoemitters 80, 84 and the photodetectors 82, 86 are operablyconnected to associated sensor receiver/processor electronics. Accordingto some embodiments, the controller 42 uses detection signals from oneor both of the photodetectors 82, 86 to count the dispensed tablets, toassess a tablet or tablets, and/or to determine conditions orperformance in tablet dispensing. In some cases, the sensor system 102operates the valves 142, 144 or other devices in response to identifiedor determined count, conditions or performance in dispensing.

In use, the operator may adjust or readjust the dimensions of thedispensing channel 120 by moving one or both of the walls 232, 290relative to the walls 262 and 210, respectively, using the adjustmentmechanisms 202, 204 as described above. Typically, the operator willmake such an adjustment as part of the initial setup procedure wheninstalling the bin 100 in the dispensing system 40. The adjustabledispensing channel subassembly 200 permits the dispensing channel 120 tobe sized and shaped to complement tablets T of different dimensionswithin a range of dimensions. Thus, it is not necessary to preconfigurethe bin 100 for a specific tablet size; rather, the bin 100 can bereconfigured by the operator to fit the intended tablet size.

In some cases, the operator may only adjust the dispensing channelsubassembly 200 once, namely, from its factory settings to the settingsappropriate for the tablets being dispensed from the bin. For example,only one adjustment may ever be needed where the bin 100 is indefinitelyor permanently dedicated to dispensing a particular tablet size and/orshape.

In some cases, the operator may make such adjustments to the channel 120between dispensing sessions in order to size the cross-section of thedispensing channel 120 to complement the size and configuration of thetablets to be dispensed next.

Exemplary operation of the dispensing system 40 will now be described.The bin 100 is filled with tablets T to be dispensed. The tablets T mayinitially be at rest. At this time, the valves 142, 144 are closed sothat no gas flow is provided through the drive jet outlets 146, 148 orthe agitation outlets 152, 154.

If desired, the adjustable dispensing channel system 200 is suitablyadjusted using one or both of the adjustment mechanisms 202, 204 toprovide the dispensing channel 120 and/or the inlet 122 with theappropriate dimensions for singulating the intended tablets T.

When is it desired to dispense the tablets T to fill the container C,the dispensing carrier 70, directed by the controller 42, moves thecontainer C to the exit port of the nozzle 114 of the selecteddispensing bin 100. The controller 42 signals the forward valve 142 toopen (while the reverse valve 144 remains closed). The opened valve 142permits the pressurized gas from the gas source 136 to flow through thegas supply passages and out through the forward drive jet outlets 146.The pressurized flow from the forward drive jet outlets 146 creates highvelocity gas jets that generate suction that causes a forward flow FF ofhigh pressure, high velocity air to be drawn outwardly through thedispensing channel 120 (FIG. 7). Tablets T are oriented into a preferredorientation by the shape of the inlet 122 to the dispensing channel 120and dispensed into the container C through the dispensing channel 120and the outlet 124 under the force of the forward flow FF. Thephotodetectors 82, 86 detect the tablets T as they pass throughrespective predetermined points in the dispensing channel 120.

The opening of the valve 142 also simultaneously permits the pressurizedsupply gas from the gas source 136 to flow through the front airamplifier 160 and out through the front agitation outlet 152 as anagitation air flow having a relatively low velocity and high mass flowrate as compared to the gas flow from the forward drive jet outlets 146.The front agitation air flow flows through and lofts or otherwisedisplaces (i.e., agitates) the tablets T in the front subchamber 111Aproximate the inlet 122. This agitation of the tablets T helps to orientthe tablets T for singulated entry into the dispensing channel 120 andto prevent tablet jams. According to some embodiments, the forward jetgas flows and the front agitation flow are provided simultaneously.

Once dispensing is complete (i.e., a predetermined number of tablets hasbeen dispensed and counted), the controller 42 activates the forwardvalve 142 to close and the reverse valve 144 to open. The opened valve144 permits the pressurized gas from the gas source 136 to flow outthrough the reverse drive jet outlet 148. The pressurized flow from thejet outlet 148 creates a high velocity gas jet that generates suctionthat causes a reverse (i.e., rearward) flow FR of high pressure air tobe drawn inwardly through the dispensing channel 120 toward the chamber111. In this manner, the airflow is reversed and any tablets T remainingin the channel 120 are returned to the chamber 111 under the force ofthe reverse flow (FIG. 8).

The opening of the valve 144 also simultaneously permits the pressurizedsupply gas from the gas source 136 to flow through the rear airamplifier 160 and out through the rear agitation outlet 154 as a rearagitation air flow which has a relatively low velocity and high massflow rate as compared to the gas flow from the jet outlet 148. The rearagitation air flow flows through and lofts or otherwise displaces (i.e.,agitates) the tablets T in the front subchamber 111A and/or theintermediate subchamber 111B proximate the choke point between thepartition wall 156 and the floor 150. This agitation of the tablets Thelps to loosen the tablets T to permit return of the tablets T and toprevent or break tablet jams. According to some embodiments, the reversejet gas flow and the rear agitation flow are provided simultaneously.According to some embodiments, the reverse valve 144 is opened and thenclosed after a relatively short period to provide the reverse flow FRand the rear agitation flow as short bursts.

Typically, an operator will request that a desired number of tablets bedispensed (“the requested count”). The sensor system 102 detects thetablets T as they pass through predetermined points in the dispensingchannel 120, as discussed in more detail below. The controller 42 usesthe detection signals from the photodetector 82 and/or the photodetector86 to monitor and maintain a registered count of the tablets T dispensed(“the system count”). When the system count matches the requested count,the controller 42 will deem the dispensing complete and cease dispensingof the tablets T.

Following the first dispensing session, the operator may desire toexecute a second or further dispensing session. However, the operatormay desire to adjust one or both of the height dimension and the widthdimension of the inlet 122. Such adjustment may be desired toaccommodate new tablets having different dimensions than those of thetablets dispensed in the first dispensing session, for example. Suchadjustment may also be used to improve dispensing performance of thesame size tablets, for example, if tablet jams or other failures wereencountered in the prior dispensing session. The inlet 122 may beadjusted using the dispensing channel dispensing system 200 and thesecond dispensing session is thereafter executed. Further adjustments tothe inlet 122 may be made between subsequent dispensing sessions in thesame manner.

Other mechanisms may be employed to provide tactile and/or audiblepositive feedback in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention in addition to or in place of the detents 256B, 286B and thetabs 246, 286. For example, according to some embodiments, one of theknob 252 and the housing wall 212 includes a projection and the otherincludes a detent, and the projection and the detent selectively engageand disengage with one another to provide the tactile and/or audiblefeedback.

With reference to FIGS. 19-24, an adjustment mechanism 302 according tofurther embodiments of the present invention is shown therein. Theadjustment mechanism 302 may be used in the bin 100 in place of eitherthe adjustment mechanism 202, the adjustment mechanism 204 or both.

The adjustment mechanism 302 includes an adjuster screw member 350 andan arm or tab 346 having a projection 346B. The tab 346 is formed of aresilient material so that it may be elastically deflected about a pivotend 346A of the tab 346. The tab 346 may be a cutout in the wall 212,for example. The adjuster screw member 350 may correspond to the screwmember 250 except that the detents 256B are not formed in the threads356A and circumferentially spaced apart detents 356B are defined in theunderside of the knob 352.

In use, the adjuster screw member 350 is rotated as described above toadjust the ceiling member 230 or the floor member 260, for example. Asthe knob 352 rotates over the projection 346B, the projection 346B isreceived in and displaced from (or snaps into and slides out of) theadjacent one of the detents 356B to provide tactile and/or audiblefeedback to the operator as discussed above, as well as to temporarilylock the adjustment in place. The cutout tab 346 operates as a naturalspring to bias the projection 346B against the underside of the knob 352and into the aligned one of the detents 356B.

With reference to FIG. 25, an adjustment mechanism 402 according tofurther embodiments of the present invention is shown therein. Theadjustment mechanism 402 may be used in the bin 100 in place of eitherthe adjustment mechanism 202, the adjustment mechanism 204, or both.

The adjustment mechanism 402 corresponds to the adjustment mechanism 202except as follows. The view of FIG. 25 corresponds to the view of FIG.15. The shank portion 456 has notches or detents 456B defined in thethreads 456A thereof. The detents 456B differ from the detents 256B inthat the detents 456B are substantially V-shaped and have opposed,generally flat side walls 456C. The projection 446B (on the tab 446),which may be arcuate, engages the thread 456A and seats in the detents456B in the same manner as described above with respect to theadjustment mechanism 202. The adjustment mechanism 402 may be furtheradvantageous because the round projection 446B engages the detent 456Bat two contact points on the sidewalls 456C. This arrangement mayprovide additional resistance to inhibit the shank portion 456 fromrotating.

While embodiments employing passed gas drive mechanisms are describedherein, other embodiments the present invention may employ other drivemechanisms in place of or in addition to a drive gas flow. For example,the pharmaceutical articles may be passed in the forward and/or reversedirection by vibration and/or gravity.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to beconstrued as limiting thereof. Although a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention has been described, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplaryembodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings andadvantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications areintended to be included within the scope of this invention. Therefore,it is to be understood that the foregoing is illustrative of the presentinvention and is not to be construed as limited to the specificembodiments disclosed, and that modifications to the disclosedembodiments, as well as other embodiments, are intended to be includedwithin the scope of the invention.

1. An apparatus for dispensing pharmaceutical articles, the apparatuscomprising: a) a housing assembly including a first inlet wall and asecond inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inlet wall, thehousing assembly defining: a hopper chamber that houses pharmaceuticalarticles; and a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopperchamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet anddefining a flow path, the inlet being defined at least in part by thefirst and second inlet walls; and b) an adjustment system operable toadjust the position of the second inlet wall relative to the first inletwall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceuticalarticles passing through the inlet, the adjustment system including: aninput mechanism selectively operable by an operator to selectively movethe second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall; and an operatorfeedback mechanism that provides tactile and/or audible feedback to theoperator responsive to operation of the input mechanism by the operatorto indicate prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall; wherein: the input mechanism includesa rotatable member that is rotatable relative to a mating portion of theapparatus; the operator feedback mechanism includes a detent and aprojection, wherein one of the detent and the projection is located onthe rotatable member and the other of the detent and the projection islocated on the mating portion; and the projection engages the detent ata prescribed rotational position of the rotatable member to providetactile and/or audible feedback to the operator as the operator rotatesthe rotatable member to and/or from the prescribed rotational position.2. The apparatus of claim 1 including a plurality of detents and/or aplurality of projections each configured to engage a projection or adetent, respectively, to provide tactile and/or audible feedback to theoperator as the operator rotates the rotatable member to and/or from aplurality of prescribed rotational positions.
 3. The apparatus of claim1 including a plurality of indicia on the housing assembly to indicaterespective prescribed positions of the second inlet wall.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3 wherein the prescribed rotational position isindexed to at least prescribed ones of the plurality of indicia.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein: the rotatable member includes a threadedshank and a knob affixed thereto; and the adjustment system isconfigured such that rotation of the knob rotates the threaded shank,which in turn translates the second inlet wall relative to the firstinlet wall.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5 including: a plurality ofindicia on the housing assembly to indicate respective prescribedpositions of the second inlet wall; wherein the prescribed rotationalposition is indexed to at least prescribed ones of the plurality ofindicia; and wherein the threaded shank has a thread pitch configuredsuch that each full turn of the rotatable member corresponds to one fullincrement between the plurality of indicia.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5wherein one of the detent and the projection is located on the knob andthe other of the detent and the projection is located on the matingportion.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein: the detent is located onthe knob; the mating portion includes a deflectable tab; and theprojection is located on the deflectable tab.
 9. The apparatus of claim1 wherein: the rotatable member includes a shank having an externalthread and the detent is defined in the thread; and the projection islocated on the mating portion.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein: therotatable member includes a plurality of detents defined in the thread;the mating portion includes a deflectable tab; and the projection islocated on the deflectable tab of the mating portion.
 11. The apparatusof claim 9 wherein the detent is substantially V-shaped and theprojection is arcuate.
 12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the matingportion includes a second thread operatively engaging the thread of theshank.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1 including a plurality of indicia onthe housing assembly to indicate respective prescribed positions of thesecond inlet wall, wherein the tactile and/or audible feedbackindicating prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall is indexed to the plurality of indicia.14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the tactile and/or audible feedbackincludes tactile feedback.
 15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein thetactile and/or audible feedback includes audible feedback.
 16. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the second inlet wall is configured totranslate relative to the first inlet wall in a direction perpendicularto the flow path.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the housingassembly includes a third inlet wall that is moveable relative to thefirst inlet wall and the inlet is defined at least in part by the thirdinlet wall.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the second inlet wallis configured to translate relative to the first inlet wall in a firstdirection perpendicular to the flow path, and the third inlet wall isconfigured to translate relative to the first inlet wall in a seconddirection perpendicular to the flow path and to the first direction. 19.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the apparatus includes a drivemechanism operable to pass the articles along the dispensing path andthrough the inlet.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the drivemechanism includes a flow generator configured to generate at least onedrive gas flow to pass articles along the dispensing path and throughthe inlet.
 21. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein: the housing assemblyincludes a third inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inletwall and defining, at least in part, the inlet; and the apparatusfurther includes a second adjustment system operable to adjust theposition of the third inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall toadjust the size of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articlespassing through the inlet, the second adjustment system including: asecond input mechanism selectively operable by an operator toselectively move the third inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall;and a second operator feedback mechanism that provides tactile and/oraudible feedback to the operator responsive to operation of the secondinput mechanism by the operator to indicate prescribed increments ofmovement of the third inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall. 22.The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the second wall is movable relative tothe housing along a first axis and the third wall is movable relative tothe housing along a second axis transverse to the first axis.
 23. Theapparatus of claim 22 wherein the second axis is perpendicular to thefirst axis.
 24. A method for dispensing pharmaceutical articles, themethod comprising: providing an apparatus comprising: a housing assemblyincluding a first inlet wall and a second inlet wall that is moveablerelative to the first inlet wall, the housing assembly defining: ahopper chamber that houses pharmaceutical articles; and a dispensingchannel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, the dispensing channelhaving an inlet and an outlet and defining a flow path, the inlet beingdefined at least in part by the first and second inlet walls; and anadjustment system operable to adjust the position of the second inletwall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet tosingulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet, theadjustment system including: an input mechanism selectively operable byan operator to selectively move the second inlet wall relative to thefirst inlet wall; and an operator feedback mechanism that providestactile and/or audible feedback to the operator responsive to operationof the input mechanism by the operator to indicate prescribed incrementsof movement of the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall;and using the input mechanism, adjusting the position of the secondinlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of theinlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through theinlet; wherein: the input mechanism includes a rotatable member that isrotatable relative to a mating portion of the apparatus; the operatorfeedback mechanism includes a detent and a projection, wherein one ofthe detent and the projection is located on the rotatable member and theother of the detent and the projection is located on the mating portion;and the projection engages the detent at a prescribed rotationalposition of the rotatable member to provide tactile and/or audiblefeedback to the operator as the operator rotates the rotatable member toand/or from the prescribed rotational position.
 25. The method of claim24 including: using the input mechanism, adjusting the position of thesecond inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust theconfiguration of the inlet to a first configuration to singulate thepharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet; thereafter executinga first counting session including passing the articles along a flowpath with the inlet in the first configuration; thereafter using theinput mechanism, adjusting the position of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall to adjust the configuration of theinlet to a second configuration to singulate the pharmaceutical articlespassing through the inlet, wherein the second configuration is differentfrom the first configuration; and thereafter executing a second countingsession including passing the articles along the dispensing pathway ofthe apparatus with the inlet in the second configuration.
 26. The methodof claim 24 including using a drive mechanism to pass the articles alongthe dispensing path and through the inlet.
 27. The method of claim 26including generating at least one drive gas flow using a flow generatorto force articles along the dispensing path and through the inlet. 28.An apparatus for dispensing pharmaceutical articles, the apparatuscomprising: a) a housing assembly including a first inlet wall and asecond inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inlet wall, thehousing assembly defining: a hopper chamber that houses pharmaceuticalarticles; and a dispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopperchamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet anddefining a flow path, the inlet being defined at least in part by thefirst and second inlet walls; and b) an adjustment system operable toadjust the position of the second inlet wall relative to the first inletwall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceuticalarticles passing through the inlet, the adjustment system including: aninput mechanism selectively operable by an operator to selectively movethe second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall; and an operatorfeedback mechanism that provides audible feedback to the operatorresponsive to operation of the input mechanism by the operator toindicate prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall.
 29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein:the rotatable member includes a threaded shank and a knob affixedthereto; and the adjustment system is configured such that rotation ofthe knob rotates the threaded shank, which in turn translates the secondinlet wall relative to the first inlet wall.
 30. The apparatus of claim28 including a plurality of indicia on the housing assembly to indicaterespective prescribed positions of the second inlet wall, wherein theaudible feedback indicating prescribed increments of movement of thesecond inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall is indexed to theplurality of indicia.
 31. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein theapparatus includes a drive mechanism operable to pass the articles alongthe dispensing path and through the inlet.
 32. An apparatus fordispensing pharmaceutical articles, the apparatus comprising: a) ahousing assembly including a first inlet wall and a second inlet wallthat is moveable relative to the first inlet wall, the housing assemblydefining: a hopper chamber that houses pharmaceutical articles; and adispensing channel fluidly connected to the hopper chamber, thedispensing channel having an inlet and an outlet and defining a flowpath, the inlet being defined at least in part by the first and secondinlet walls; and b) an adjustment system operable to adjust the positionof the second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust thesize of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articles passingthrough the inlet, the adjustment system including: an input mechanismselectively operable by an operator to selectively move the second inletwall relative to the first inlet wall; and an operator feedbackmechanism that provides tactile and/or audible feedback to the operatorresponsive to operation of the input mechanism by the operator toindicate prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall; wherein: the housing assembly includesa third inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inlet wall anddefining, at least in part, the inlet; the apparatus further includes asecond adjustment system operable to adjust the position of the thirdinlet wall relative to the first inlet wall to adjust the size of theinlet to singulate the pharmaceutical articles passing through theinlet, the second adjustment system including: a second input mechanismselectively operable by an operator to selectively move the third inletwall relative to the first inlet wall; and a second operator feedbackmechanism that provides tactile and/or audible feedback to the operatorresponsive to operation of the second input mechanism by the operator toindicate prescribed increments of movement of the third inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall; the second wall is movable relative tothe housing along a first axis and the third wall is movable relative tothe housing along a second axis transverse to the first axis; and thesecond axis is perpendicular to the first axis.
 33. A method fordispensing pharmaceutical articles, the method comprising: providing anapparatus comprising: a housing assembly including a first inlet walland a second inlet wall that is moveable relative to the first inletwall, the housing assembly defining: a hopper chamber that housespharmaceutical articles; and a dispensing channel fluidly connected tothe hopper chamber, the dispensing channel having an inlet and an outletand defining a flow path, the inlet being defined at least in part bythe first and second inlet walls; and an adjustment system operable toadjust the position of the second inlet wall relative to the first inletwall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate the pharmaceuticalarticles passing through the inlet, the adjustment system including: aninput mechanism selectively operable by an operator to selectively movethe second inlet wall relative to the first inlet wall; and an operatorfeedback mechanism that provides audible feedback to the operatorresponsive to operation of the input mechanism by the operator toindicate prescribed increments of movement of the second inlet wallrelative to the first inlet wall; and using the input mechanism,adjusting the position of the second inlet wall relative to the firstinlet wall to adjust the size of the inlet to singulate thepharmaceutical articles passing through the inlet.